By Christopher Makaza
MDC Bulawayo Provincial Youth Assembly Chairperson, Tinashe Kamabarami complained during their party’s provincial meeting held recently in Bulawayo that the party`s youths were no longer attending party meetings due economic hardships the country is facing as a result of sanctions.
Kambarami claimed that the youths were failing to attend crucial meetings and party activities as they could not afford commuter omnibus fares.
Kambarami requested legislators to assist the youths financially to run party activities, a proposal that was quickly shot down by MDC Bulawayo Provincial Chair, James Sithole who highlighted that the legislators were over-burdened as they fund various party activities.
Sithole urged the youths to take advantage of ZUPCO buses availed by government to cushion the people from exorbitant fares charged by some unscrupulous commuter omnibuses owners.
Sithole said MDC youths must take a leaf from Zanu PF youths who during the liberation struggle sacrificed their lives by walking for some days, crossing into Mozambique without being paid.
“You should emulate what Zanu-PF youths during the liberation struggle did. They had a vision and were determined to achieve their objectives. We are in a struggle so you must persevere, good times are lying ahead,” he said.
Kambarami said MDC youths were calling upon the national leadership particularly the party`s leader Nelson Chamisa to expedite dialogue with President Emmerson Mnangagwa so that the country`s economy stabilises.
“We are not spared by the current economic hardships the country is facing because of sanctions. The truth is that our leader must swallow his pride and engage President Mnangagwa in fruitful dialogue to find lasting solutions to our challenges. Legitimacy issue is no longer an issue to talk about; we must concentrate on the dialogue route.
“In 2009, former President, the late Robert Mugabe and our late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai exhibited maturity when they buried the hatchet and formeda Government of National Unity (GNU) which saw the country`s economy improve, that’s exactly these two should do,” he said.
Calls for Chamisa to dialogue with President Mnangagwa continue to grow louder within the MDC with the legislators from that party hoping that the dialogue might give birth to GNU which might absorb them as Ministers or Deputy Ministers.
MDC invited Britain, the US and the EU to impose illegal racist sanctions on Zimbabwe. The Western powers, however, claim that the economic hardships are solely because of corruption and the Government’s mismanagement of the economy.
